I Still Care
by Blackwolf-20
Summary: Carol made it clear that she wanted to be left alone in her little house, and when her wish is finally granted she finds herself wondering why the visits from the Kingdom have stopped. When the reason becomes known, Carol finds herself wondering if she really wants to be left alone.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'The Walking Dead'**

 **This fic is like a little side story and will dismiss the scene of Daryl's recent visit from episode 10.**

She didn't understand why it was so hard for them to grasp. She wanted to be left alone. She didn't want anyone crossing her property just to say "hello" or to drop off food. She wanted to be alone, but for some reason, the Kingdom's keepers and their king didn't seem to follow her logic.

Carol sighed as she stared at what remained of the cobbler Jerry had brought on their last visit a week ago. It happened to be apple and was quite delicious, she had to admit. Still, it was a sign that no one was taking her seriously and it pissed her off, yet there was a part of her that did rather like the attention.

She shook her head and grabbed one of the few plates that had been left in the house and proceeded to help herself to a final helping of it. She carried her plate to the couch and stretched out with a book in hand. Every time she took a bite of the cobbler, her thoughts shifted to the troublesome Ezekiel. At one point she shifted her eyes away from the book and looked at her environment. She rather liked her cozy little house, but if the king kept making visits she would have to move and find another. She sighed again thinking how annoying it would be to do so.

A few days later saw the return of the king. Carol watched him from her window. He was leaning on the outside of her fence with his back facing her way, appearing to admire the view ahead. Prowling at his side was his sidekick Shiva. Carol watched the big cat for a bit. This wasn't the first time Ezekiel had chosen to "take a stroll" with his pet. After she had first gotten settled in the house, his majesty was knocking on her door, cat by his side, insisting that she really needed to try a pomegranate. Another time she had caught the pair walking along a trail while she was out in the woods, foraging. Ezekiel had smiled at her and noted what a 'coincidence' it was that their paths should cross.

She hadn't been fooled and she had been bold enough to point out the bullshit. There was no coincidental crossing of paths. It was the day she realized the king would be checking up on her as often as possible. It didn't make her feel cared for, it made her feel as if she was being viewed as a child unable to cope alone.

"Don't come back, your majesty," she had warned with a voice that was as cold and hard as ice. Ezekiel merely looked at her before giving a nod and continuing on his walk.

Carol sighed and shook her head as she watched the man now.

"Unbelievable," she muttered as she made her way outside. Ezekiel turned around and plastered that kindly smile of his.

"Ahh, how is the fair maiden this day?"

"The fair maiden would be better if a certain king didn't constantly invade her property."

"I have not come inside so I have not intruded. I am merely allowing Shiva and myself a bit of rest before continuing our journey."

"As long as that journey is far away from me, I'll be happy."

"I wish you no distress Carol, I am merely-"

"I know what you're merely doing and I don't want it. I want to be left alone."

And with that she turned on her heels and marched back towards her house.

"I want you gone, now."

She slammed the door behind her and shut the curtains on the window.

Carol didn't see another sign of the Kingdom for another week when she noticed two of armored men milling about not far from her on their horses. It was clear that Ezekiel was going to send his lackeys to keep tabs until he found it safe enough to come by in person.

"Do I have to put up a sign," she practically yelled as she stepped out of her house. She had considered not coming out at all and just ignoring the men, but doing so usually resulted in them knocking on the door in the end.

"Easy ma'am, we're just patrolling the area for the dead," said one of the men who had blonde hair.

"I can handle the dead," Carol stated, eyes flashing angrily. "I don't need a patrol."

The blonde looked at his partner, a shorter dark haired man with a beard.

"We know, King Ezekiel told us you can handle yourself, but it is our job to patrol the area for the dead for the safety of the Kingdom. You just happened to fall into that vicinity."

"Bullshit." She placed her hands on her hips and glared them down. "I know what he's doing, and you can tell him unless he stops checking in on me I won't stay. I'll leave and find another place where you'll never find me, but if you did happened to find me…I won't hesitate."

She indicated the gun on her hip which caused the men to trade nervous glances.

"Sorry ma'am for imposing," the blonde apologized.

"Go, now. And do not come back. I mean it."

She stood there and watched until they turned their horses around to patrol another area far from her property.

As another week began, Carol didn't believe for an instant that any member of the Kingdom would acknowledge her wishes. Every now and then she found herself peeking out of her windows or even patrolling the perimeter for a sign of them. She kept a sharp ear out, listening for approaching footsteps or a tripped wire from one of her traps.

It wasn't until a second week passed that she felt at ease about her situation. No one had come around. The king didn't come on one of his walks nor did he send guards. It was just quiet, and she was alone at last. Such a thing made her breathe easier, but there was something about it that created an unpleasant twinge in her heart. She denied it was loneliness. The feeling was just a response to her new freedom from the constant intrusions.

When another week came, Carol found herself wandering off the trail for a hunt in search of the trail Ezekiel had taken when walking Shiva. She told herself she was just sitting there in the bush scouting for any nearby walkers. She certainly wasn't looking for that familiar sight of orange from the big cat any more than she was looking for a sign of his majesty.

By the end of the week she had a strong craving for that cobbler, but there was no sign of Jerry anywhere. A few days later, the craving shifted to a need for pomegranates, but there was no king to bring forth a bowl of the fruit.

"This is stupid," she muttered while curled upon the couch. It was stupid that the twinge in her heart was turning into a kind of emptiness she didn't want to feel or examine. She had gotten what she wanted, reminded herself it was what she needed, but it felt like a lie.

Quietly she turned and peeked past the curtains of her window, while unconsciously hoping to see a member of the Kingdom trotting nearby with the excuse that they were patrolling.

They never did come by. The message was clearly sent and sent well, and now she regretted having the guards deliver her warning.

By the fourth week she was standing outside, staring in the direction of the Kingdom. There was an inner battle happening, where one side of herself just wanted to march up to the Kingdom's gates and see why the hell no one had broken her rule and come to see her while the other part just wanted to stay put and ignore them all.

She frowned as she thought about them. Surely they were still alight. The community wouldn't have fallen without her knowing about it. If there had been an attack, surely the king would've sent guards her way to keep her protected, and she of course would have done her best to send them away while preparing to defend herself.

"What's going on over there?" she whispered curiously. Then she cursed herself for being so curious.

Eventually she headed back inside, determined to find something more eventful to do to knock away the slowly growing sadness.

It was a whole month and a half before she finally saw a sign of her dreaded neighbors. She had just fetched a rabbit from one of her traps when she heard the clopping of a horse walking not too far away. Her breath caught in her throat as she hurried towards the sound, hoping the knights of the Kingdom had finally decided to risk breaking her order not to come around.

Silently she made it close enough to see the horseman, wandering along the road with a noticeable bag hanging from the saddle. There was a burst of joy in her heart at seeing it was indeed a member from the Kingdom and not some random stranger passing through.

Slowly she approached from behind, careful not to alert the man nor the horse. She dropped the smile that played on her lips at seeing them and called out.

"I thought I told the king I didn't want any visitors."

The man halted his horse, but didn't turn around.

"Not here to see you Carol."

It was Richard, but he didn't sound angry with his flat response. If anything, he sounded worn down. Carol frowned and moved toward him.

"Oh, not patrolling on his orders?" She made it to the front where she noticed the grave look on his face.

Richard shook his head then patted the bag.

"Looking for supplies. It's…," he paused, seeming to struggle with something, before continuing, "I wasn't checking up on you. The king respects your privacy."

Carol didn't like that pause. Something was clearly wrong, and that nasty feeling started to squeeze at her heart. She prayed she was wrong.

"How is he?" She regretted the question as soon as it left her mouth, but then she asked for more. "How is everyone?"

Richard's face gave it away. There was no masking the worry he was obviously harboring, and it was then that Carol wished she could have just walked away.

"Everyone's fine, but the king…he's sick."

 **Originally, I was going to have it that Shiva was sick and the king was so sick with worry over his pet that that was why he wasn't coming around to see Carol. But I thought Carol would be more interested if it was Ezekiel himself that came down with something. Is it serious? Will Carol decide to visit him for once? I really hope everyone was in character enough.** **  
** **The lack of Carol & Ezekiel stories inspired this. I really want to see more because I am very interested in their chemistry. We have more than enough Carol/Daryl. Show the king some love :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Walking Dead**

Sickness was not a term heard very often nowadays. People were either dead or bit, but she knew very well it was still an occurrence. Briefly her thoughts shifted to the days when she had lived in the prison, during a time when many of the group had started to come down with something that slowly spread. She recalled trying to handle the matter by burning the bodies to prevent further contamination, but it had backfired.

As she looked at Richard's face, fear began to invade her heart. Could the Kingdom have experience the same sickness outbreak?

"Sick? How, how bad is it? Did it hit everyone?"

Richard looked away momentarily.

"A couple of people were getting sick. The doctors had their hands full, but we did lose two." He stopped to allow a moment of silence. "The ones that made it are recovering. Ezekiel was the last to get it."

"How bad Richard?"

"He wouldn't have gotten it if he'd stayed away from them, but that's just the kind of person he is. He needed to be by their side, making sure they were going to be alright."

"Richard. How bad?" Carol demanded. She needed him to stop skirting around the question.

Richard stared her in the eyes looking hopeless.

"Bad."

Carol stared back, not knowing what to say. It was the last thing she expected to hear. It would've been better to hear that the king had finally taken her request into account or had just forgotten she existed. Instead, it was a sickness that had kept them all away. Yes she had wanted them to leave her be, but not like this.

She considered asking for more information on how serious it was, but was afraid to know. Besides that, Richard didn't look like he was comfortable enough to broaden the details.

"I'm sorry."

Richard nodded.

"I went out to try and find meds. Hope a few bottles of aspirin can help…but, it's the best I could find."

Again Carol didn't quite know what to say or do. The situation was out of her hands and when it came down to it, the Kingdom wasn't her concern.

"Well you have good doctors," she started. "They saved me, so they'll be able to help him."

Though she was reminded of the fact that he mentioned they'd lost two. Richard didn't seem to find any comfort in her words, but he nodded nonetheless.

"Take care Carol."

Richard motioned for his horse to continue onward. Carol opened her mouth to say more, but no more words left her throat. She was left watching him leave, while an intense urge gripped at her core.

Carol stood in the road, kicking herself for not going back with him. She kicked herself even more as she turned in favor of heading home.

She sat before the fireplace that evening as images of a horribly sick Ezekiel plagued her mind. She didn't know why she was so worried. The Kingdom had good doctors, and the king was much too strong to be taken out by some simple illness.

"Idiot," she muttered as she thought of the man, smiling at her. He was the leader of that great community. He couldn't afford to catch something so serious and so she cursed him for not being careful; cursed him for caring too much. She shut her eyes and willed the images away.

That night, she dreamed of a tiger wandering through the woods, making noises that indicated its distress at being completely alone.

By morning, Carol was peeking out of her window, expecting or rather hoping Richard or someone from the Kingdom would return to give her an update. She tried to get other things done in the meantime, a little chore work and some more reading.

By lunchtime she was standing outside looking in the direction of the Kingdom, waiting.

No one ever trotted by.

"Damnit Richard."

There was no denying the pounding in her chest. It was becoming too much now.

With a sigh she headed back inside to arm herself up and prepare for the journey back to the Kingdom.

When she made it to the gate, she noticed even the guards on watch appeared affected by the state of their king.

"Carol," the guard questioned upon recognizing her.

"I came to see Ezekiel." She gave her request a moment to sink in. "How's he doing?"

The guard looked torn at answering her and instead opted to open the gate. Carol forced the stress aside as she entered. The guard stepped down to meet her. He looked as worried as Richard had appeared when she saw him.

"I don't know if it's a good idea for you to, be here right now."

"Look, I know I said I didn't want anyone seeing me, but-"

"Ezekiel wouldn't want you to get sick."

Carol stared at him. She could imagine Ezekiel wanting such a thing for her.

"Carol?" She looked around to see Richard coming towards her. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you think? I'm here to see Ezekiel."

"I told you he was sick."

"Yeah, and I came to see him."

She didn't blame him for appearing surprised.

"Carol, I don't think it's a good idea for you to-"

"Please. Just, take me to him."

Richard eventually moved, leading the way while Carol did her best to keep her emotions in check.

Richard led her up the stairs of a well-established house. It didn't scream mansion, but it was decorated with sayings and a few random exquisite looking items that fit with royalty. Carol didn't give it much mind as her thoughts were on something else altogether.

He paused before opening the door, and when he did, Carol couldn't help the small gasp that left her lips. There the Ezekiel laid, in a four poster bed, covered in a thick blanket and looking so unlike the tall king he'd made himself appear to be. He definitely had the air of sickness about him with his pale and sweaty skin.

Next to him stood Jerry whom he was quietly conversing with. Neither had noticed Carol. She turned her attention to the usually happy-go-lucky man. It was bizarre not to see a smile on his face. She turned her attention back to Ezekiel and started to move forward, but Richard held out a hand, keeping her back. He cleared his throat and stepped forward.

"Your majesty, Carol is here to see you. I know you might not feel up for company right now…"

He trailed off as Ezekiel turned to look at him. Slowly his eyes fell on Carol.

"It would be…," he stopped and fell into a fit of coughs. "My apologies…as I…was saying…it would be best if you stayed away. I would prefer you did not fall ill as well."

"I think I can handle it," Carol assured him.

He raised a hand, signaling it was alright.

"Jerry…could you…" He fell into another fit of coughing, but Jerry understood what he was trying to say.

"Sure thing boss."

Upon passing Carol, he clapped her on the shoulder and forced a smile. Carol returned it then took his place by the king's side. Richard too took his leave, closing the door behind him.

"How very fortunate I am. I did not expect…you to visit."

"Just because I didn't want you to come to me, didn't mean I wouldn't come to the Kingdom."

"Well, it pleases me nonetheless." He did his best to turn away as he started to cough heavily.

"Richard said you caught it by hovering around the sick."

"I had to make sure those that were suffering, would be well soon. Unfortunately, I have lost two."

The sadness in his eyes from mentioning the lost made her heart ache.

"I'm, sorry. How are you, holding up?"

He gave a faint smile.

"It really…is not as bad as it, looks."

"You can't bullshit a bullshitter remember," she stated as she rested a hand against his brow. "You're burning up."

She looked around and discovered a bowl of cold water with a cloth. She grabbed the cloth, squeezed out the water and laid it on his forehead.

"You have medical experience I see," Ezekiel commented quietly.

"No." Her thoughts shifted to a time from long ago that she had put aside. "I had a daughter. Whenever she had a fever, this was the most I could do for her. That and, tell her stories."

"Well, feel free to share a tale."

"Aren't you a little old for bedtime stories?"

They both smiled at the humor of it, then settled into silence.

"I'm sorry about your daughter," Ezekiel said after a moment. Carol gave a nod.

"How's Shiva doing?" she asked, eager to move away from possible discussion on that part of her past.

After a few more coughs, he answered.

"She's being well cared for, by Jerry. She will always have someone to look after her, should I not be available."

"Don't start talking like that. You're going to be fine. Shiva's gonna need you. The Kingdom will need you."

"What about you?"

"Me?"

"What do you need?"

Carol knew what he was getting at, but wasn't quite sure how to answer.

"I don't know. I thought I wanted to be alone. Thought that if, I wasn't around people I cared about, it'd be easier…and I wouldn't have to kill anymore. But when you stopped sending your knights to check on me, and when you stopped coming yourself, I missed it."

"There are many ways to find peace Carol. And if the way you have found it is not working, there is always another option."

"You mean come back here?"

Ezekiel smiled warmly.

"The gates will always be open for a fair maiden such as yourself."

Carol smiled then took the cloth from his forehead to rewet it. Though she wasn't set on the idea of joining the community, leastwise returning to her own in Alexandria, she couldn't deny that it was appealing.

"I'll think about it, but if I did come back I won't be keen on the idea of living in a palace."

King Ezekiel laughed while Carol felt a nice warmness surround her heart.

 **I hope you enjoyed the fic. I know Carol and Ezekiel pairing isn't really popular in fics, but I'm still glad I wrote this.**


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